Prior to retirement: PPP senators push for adoption of bills
All 4 representatives hope to leave behind a legacy of legislation
All 4 representatives hope to leave behind a legacy of legislation. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Sughra Imam’s five-year term as a member of the Senate is going to expire in March this year. Like her colleagues, she is preoccupied these days with her pending legislative business.
Since 2009, Imam has represented Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in parliament.
Imam told The Express Tribune that she could not contribute something significant in her five-year term and it is now her earnest desire to push through the four bills she had presented, “that will be my contribution for the country as a lawmaker.”
The main reason for this failure, according to her, is party policy that discourages the private member bills. Imam said she had proposed that ‘honour killings’ be declared a non-compoundable offence to discourage all such perpetrators. Similarly, she said, her suggestion to ensure DNA profiling in rape cases will ensure conviction or acquittal of the accused.
It is not clear yet whether or not during her tenure as senator, she along with her other party colleagues would succeed in getting these bills passed first from the relevant committees and then from both the houses of parliament.
Three other PPP lawmakers — Senator Farhatullah Babar, Senator Saeed Ghani and Senator Raza Rabbani — are also going to retire by March. Like Imam, they too are striving hard to push forward their proposed legislation on various topics before their retirement.
Senator Babar has proposed amendments in the anti-harassment laws, Senators Saeed Ghani and Raza Rabbani have sought representation of labourers in parliament. Rabbani is also a co-mover with Sughra Imam in proposing a dual nationality bar for bureaucrats.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2015.
Sughra Imam’s five-year term as a member of the Senate is going to expire in March this year. Like her colleagues, she is preoccupied these days with her pending legislative business.
Since 2009, Imam has represented Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in parliament.
Imam told The Express Tribune that she could not contribute something significant in her five-year term and it is now her earnest desire to push through the four bills she had presented, “that will be my contribution for the country as a lawmaker.”
The main reason for this failure, according to her, is party policy that discourages the private member bills. Imam said she had proposed that ‘honour killings’ be declared a non-compoundable offence to discourage all such perpetrators. Similarly, she said, her suggestion to ensure DNA profiling in rape cases will ensure conviction or acquittal of the accused.
It is not clear yet whether or not during her tenure as senator, she along with her other party colleagues would succeed in getting these bills passed first from the relevant committees and then from both the houses of parliament.
Three other PPP lawmakers — Senator Farhatullah Babar, Senator Saeed Ghani and Senator Raza Rabbani — are also going to retire by March. Like Imam, they too are striving hard to push forward their proposed legislation on various topics before their retirement.
Senator Babar has proposed amendments in the anti-harassment laws, Senators Saeed Ghani and Raza Rabbani have sought representation of labourers in parliament. Rabbani is also a co-mover with Sughra Imam in proposing a dual nationality bar for bureaucrats.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2015.